Language Contact in Amazonia

Alexandra Aikhenvald

A new account of endangered languages from Amazonia and the consequences of contact with Portuguese and English

Author's original research in region

Language Contact in Amazonia

Alexandra Aikhenvald

Description

This book investigates the contact between Arawak and Tucanoan languages spoken in the Vaupés river basin in northwest Amazonia, which spans Colombia and Brazil. In this region language is seen as a badge of identity: language mixing is resisted for ideological reasons. The book considers which parts of the language categories are likely to be borrowed. This study also examines changes brought about by recent contact with European languages and culture, and the linguistic effects of language obsolescence.

Language Contact in Amazonia

Alexandra Aikhenvald

Table of Contents

1. Language contact and language change in Amazonia2. Diffusional phenomena in phonology3. Typological profile and pronominal systems of East Tucanoan and Arawak languages4. Nominal categories and diffusion5. Diffusion of verbal categories6. Diffusional phenomena in syntax and in discourse7. The impact of Portuguese on Tariana8. How to keep languages apart: code-switching and code-mixing9. Language awareness and correct speech among the Tariana10. Diffusion of patterns and direct diffusion in the Vaupes11. Language obsolescence and language change in Tariana12. Language contact in multilingual situations: conclusions

Language Contact in Amazonia

Alexandra Aikhenvald

Author Information

Alexandra Aikhenvald is Professor of Linguistics and Deputy Director of the Research Centre for Linguistic Typology at La Trobe University. She was a Research Fellow at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR 1980-89, and Professor of Linguistics at the Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil, until 1994.

Language Contact in Amazonia

Alexandra Aikhenvald

Reviews and Awards

"Language Contact in Amazonia is must reading for students of Amazonian languages, language change, convergence, areal linguistics, lexical and grammatical borrowing, and many other areas in the sociology of language."--SIL Electronic Book Reviews

"This is an impressively detailed synchronic study replete with careful linguistics analysis. The book is rich with supplementary information... Particularly appealing is the fact that the author has foregrounded these politically not-very-significant ethnolinguistic groups, giving focus to their multilingual circumstances. This is a refreshing choice, and highlights the importance of studying linguistic norms in pre-industrialized community settings. ...impeccably arranged."--Linguist List